Inside The Bills

Some Bills fans are still wondering what happened when Bill Belichick was arguing with the officials after Fred Jackson’s catch and run to the goal line was reversed and ruled down at the one. Here was head referee Carl Cheffers explanation.

“Coach Belichick wanted an explanation as to what was going to take place after the replay,” said Chevers. “Obviously we had a reversal. We put the ball at the half-yard line. The clock was going to start. He wanted a confirmation of what was going to happen at that point. I went over there and explained to him that the ball was at the half-yard line. He asked me when the clock was going to start. I said as soon as I was done with the explanation with him that I was going to go out on the field and start the clock. He stayed down there. I didn’t understnad exactly why he stayed down there. I went back over there and he said he wanted a timeout. So I gave him his second charged timeout.”

Belichick’s answer as to what happened on the far sideline sounded consistent with Cheffers recollection of the conversation.

“I took a timeout,” he said. “I went down to call a timeout. [The officials] were waving me back, and I was going down there to call it.”

There are a lot of statistics that will be spewed on Sunday morning on all the pre-game radio shows leading up to the 1 pm kickoff between the Bills and Patriots, and I’ll be one of the many doing that spewing. But if there’s one magic figure for the Bills defense it’s 30.

That’s the point threshold the Patriots have hit in each of their last 10 games stretching back to last season with their 39-26 victory at Pittsburgh last Nov. 14th. Here’s the rundown of points per game in those 10 contests for New England.

This current 10-game streak of scoring 30 points or more is second only to the Rams ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ team that from 1999-2000 scored 30 points or more in 14 straight games.

As you might have noticed New England won each and every one of the 30-point games on this 10-game streak. Under head coach Bill Belichick the Patriots are 63-2 when they score 30 points or more. So holding them to less than 30 points is a must if you even want a shot at victory.

Bill Belichick had some praise for Ryan Fitzpatrick’s game thus far in his conference call with the Buffalo media Wednesday.

“Ryan did a great job against us in the first game last season,” said Belichick. “He’s very smart, we all know that, and does a great job in reading defenses and checking the plays, getting them into the right play against different looks, and he’s accurate. He makes good decisions with the ball, and makes quick decisions. He’s certainly good with the ball in his hands.

“As a scrambler he can avoid guys in the pocket and make plays with his feet as well as his arm. He’s working with a lot of good playmakers, both skilled players and the offensive line. He’s done a great job, and he’s got a lot of good players working with him there.”

There are reports that the New England Patriots, holders of six picks in the top 92 selections of this year’s draft, could be convinced to part with their second first-round pick at 28.

The Patriots also have the 17th pick in addition to the 28th and they’ve got the first pick in round 2 (33rd overall), so it’s understandable that New England would be willing to move out of the 28th spot knowing they’d be picking a mere five picks later anyway.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about the quarterback change made by the Bills to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“We played against Fitzpatrick last year, we played against Edwards,” he said. “I think they’re both capable guys and they have a lot of good, skilled players around them. Whoever they put in there we’ll have to be ready. We’ll get ready for both quarterbacks and all the players that are on the active roster.

“We all know that could change in a heartbeat. We just have to have a good week of preparation and do a good job of executing our defenses and not letting their big-time skill players have a field day and make a lot of plays against us.”

Belichick, as he usuallys does, builds up the opponent every year prior to playing them.

Bills head coach Chan Gailey in addressing his team about their upcoming division game against the Patriots made things plain to his players.

“All I understand is neither one of them likes each other,” said Gailey of the two teams. “We don’t like them and they don’t like us and I talked about that in the team meeting to help some of them understand that there’s that feeling between the two teams and we’re going into a hostile environment and you’ve got to get ready to play.”

Gailey however, did not mention the 13-game winning streak that the Patriots have over the Bills. He said he understands why it carries weight with fans, but said it has no impact.

“It has nothing to do with this year and this team,” he said.

And Bill Belichick agreed.

“Doesn’t mean anything,” said Belichick. “Those games are all in the past. Different players…new coach coaching, different players playing. I don’t think they care anything about those games and I don’t think we care about them either. That’s all behind us. We’re just focused on this week and Sunday afternoon’s game. That’s what it’s all about.”

Despite the media’s efforts to stir up turmoil in the Patriots camp with Randy Moss giving up on routes, or four players including Moss being sent home last week after showing up late for a meeting, Bill Belichick is not about to let his team lose focus on their next opponent.

I asked him if all of the questions about stuff away from the field is easy to ignore. Here was his response.

“There’s something every week that doesn’t really have anything to do with the current game, and we try to block that out,” Belichick said. “We’ve won big games, we’ve lost tough ones and we’ve been in between. Right now, it doesn’t matter what happened last week. Right now, we’re on to Buffalo, and that’s where our focus is.”

The screen passing game by the Bills in their Week 1 matchup against the Patriots worked very, very well for Buffalo, but since then the Bills haven’t used it all that much. Knowing Bill Belichick has watched every play of Bills football since then on tape, I asked him if that surprised him that it’s been used sparingly since Week 1.

“Well, I think they’ve had their share of plays on it, but it’s like anything else, if you’ve successful with it, other teams in the league see that and set their defenses and keys to try to to take some of those plays away. But I think Buffalo’s been successful doing a lot of different things this year. and that’s what makes them hard to defend.”

Belichick as is his M.O. was building the Buffalo offense up a bit, but the screen game was its most effective in Week 1. The Patriots will undeoubtedly be better prepared for it this time. It’s probably safe to assume the Bills will use it sparingly this week knowing the Pats will be looking for it.

Bill Belichick just spoke with the WNY media via conference call. And he was asked to assess the strengths of Trent Edwards’ game. Here was his response.

“He’s very accurate, a good decision maker,” said Belichick. “He gets the ball to his skill players, backs, tight ends, receivers, multiple receivers. He does a good job with the check game at the line of scrimmage, seeing a defense and changing the play or getting the play adjusted so they can handle the look. I think he does a good job of managing the team, doesn’t turn the ball over, makes good decisions and gets the ball to the playmakers and Buffalo has a lot of playmakers at the skill positions.”

There is a lot to like about the Monday Night Football opener and some things that aren’t very appealing (location of game). First I’ll tell you what I like best about this game on this week.

Perhaps most important is that Bill Belichick and his staff will not have any tape on Buffalo’s offense with Owens a part of it. The Bills are tweaking a good portion of their offensive approach with Owens in the lineup and with the Monday Night game being the debut of the Buffalo offense, Belichick will be forced to adjust on the fly.

I like that he won’t have any tape to go on. That’s a big plus for the Bills.

What I don’t like is that first, it’s another prime time game in Foxboro, and being the opening Monday Night game and the return of Tom Brady is going to have the Patriots’ fans in a full froth leading up to kickoff.

Secondly, the Bills may also be without Marshawn Lynch for the opener if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell elects to hand down a suspension for any length of time with respect to games.

Only Dom Capers, who was a special assistant to the secondary for the Patriots this year, might be taken off the New England staff to serve as defensive coordinator for the Broncos unless Mike Nolan is hired instead. Either way it would mean the Broncos are likely switching to a 3-4 system.

Still it will be interesting to see who is named to New England’s offensive coordinator post in the wake of McDaniels departure. I think if they promote from within, which Bill Belichick has done before that receivers coach Bill O’Brien is the most qualified.

He’s been an offensive coordinator for three seasons, albeit at the collegiate level (Georgia Tech, Duke). However, he has never been a quarterbacks coach and McDaniels served as both OC and QBs coach for the Pats.

So Belichick may still need to hire an additional assistant.

McDaniels will reportedly keep some of Shanahan’s offensive assistants from the old coaching staff.